A pandanus language is an elaborate avoidance language among several of the peoples of the eastern New Guinea Highlands, used when collecting Pandanus nuts.
A pandanus language is an elaborate avoidance language among several of the peoples of the eastern New Guinea Highlands, used when collecting Pandanus nuts.
Annually, people camp in the forest to harvest and cook the nuts of karuka (both Pandanus julianettii and Pandanus brosimos ). Many normal words are thought to be unhealthy for the plants, as they carry associations inimical to the proper growth of the nuts. An elaborate vocabulary of up to a thousand words and phrases has developed to replace the taboo vocabulary. The new vocabulary focuses on words involved with trips to harvest karuka nuts, and changes as words become known outside an area. [1] The language is often spoken to control the claimed magical properties of the higher elevations where the karuka grows, and to placate dangerous nature spirits like Kita-Menda (also called Giluwe yelkepo [2] ), the ritual keeper of the feral dogs. [1] Pandanus language generally should never be used outside the area where the trees grow, for fear of mountain spirits hearing it and coming down to investigate. [1]
All ages and genders are expected to know the ritual language before entering the taboo areas, but outsiders who do not know the language may be allowed to speak Tok Pisin instead. [1] As Tok Pisin has become more widely spoken in the area, pandanus languages have been spoken less. [2] Newer generations also seem to be less afraid of the deep forest, and do not see much need for the protective talk. [2] The Kewa and Imbongu pandanus languages were thought to be dying out already by the 1990s. [2]
The grammar and vocabulary of pandanus language is based on the mother tongue, but a restricted and consolidated form, especially for names of living organisms. [1] Often words are grouped into umbrella terms which do not have an equivalent concept in ordinary speech. [3] Pandanus language words can also be loanwords from other languages. [3]
'Karuka,' as a term, is not treated consistently across all pandanus languages. For example, in ordinary Kewa language it is aga, [4] [5] [1] but in the Kewa pandanus language it is rumala agaa. [1] [2] Conversely, in both ordinary Kalam language and its pandanus register, the word is the same: alŋaw. [3]
Pandanus registers have been best documented for:
The Kalam pandanus language, called alŋaw mnm (pandanus language) or ask-mosk mnm (avoidance language), is also used when eating or cooking cassowary, [6] as opposed to speaking monmon mnm (ordinary/free language). [3] It is not spoken out of fear of spirits, but to prevent the nuts from being watery, tough, or rotten; or in the case for cassowaries, to show respect to the bird. [3] Kalam pandanus language may also be used outside the forest without penalty unlike other versions. [3] This register is possibly thousands of years old, and may be inspired by older pandanus languages. [3]
The Huli language has an avoidance register called tayenda tu ha illili (bush divide taboo) used for collecting Pandanus as well as hunting or traveling. [7] Tayenda, like many of the above, is used to evade malevolent bush spirits. [7]
Tok Pisin, often referred to by English speakers as New Guinea Pidgin or simply Pidgin, is a creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in the country. However, in parts of the southern provinces of Western, Gulf, Central, Oro, and Milne Bay, the use of Tok Pisin has a shorter history and is less universal, especially among older people.
Trans–New Guinea (TNG) is an extensive family of Papuan languages spoken on the island of New Guinea and neighboring islands, a region corresponding to the country Papua New Guinea as well as parts of Indonesia.
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with some 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.
Kobon is a language of Papua New Guinea. It has somewhere around 90–120 verbs.
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Melpa is a Papuan language spoken by about 130,000 people predominantly in Mount Hagen and the surrounding district of Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.
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Papua New Guinea, a sovereign state in Oceania, is the most linguistically diverse country in the world. According to Ethnologue, there are 840 living languages spoken in the country. In 2006, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare stated that "Papua New Guinea has 832 living languages ."
The squirrel-toothed rat, also known as the New Guinea giant rat, powerful-toothed rat, uneven-toothed rat, or narrow-toothed giant rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Anisomys and is found in New Guinea.
The eastern white-eared giant rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Papua New Guinea.
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The Engan, or more precisely Enga – Southern Highland, languages are a small family of Papuan languages of the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The two branches of the family are rather distantly related, but were connected by Franklin and Voorhoeve (1973).
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Kalam is a Kalam language of Papua New Guinea. It is closely related to Kobon, and shares many of the features of that language. Kalam is spoken in Middle Ramu District of Madang Province and in Mount Hagen District of Western Highlands Province.
Kewa is an Engan language complex of the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea. A dictionary of the western dialect of Kewa has been compiled by Franklin & Franklin (1978).
The karuka is a species of tree in the screwpine family (Pandanaceae) and an important regional food crop in New Guinea. The nuts are more nutritious than coconuts, and are so popular that villagers in the highlands will move their entire households closer to trees for the harvest season.
Pandanus brosimos, the wild karuka, is a species of tree in the family Pandanaceae, endemic to New Guinea. Along with Pandanus julianettii, it is widely harvested in New Guinea as a traditional food source. Many local ethnic groups make use of pandanus languages when harvesting the nuts.